This is (apparently) why Meghan Markle always has her hands in her pockets

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)

You can't beat a good pocket, can you? In fact, I don't really have time for jeans or dresses without any, because you're always in need of tissue or lip balm, right?

Turns out Meghan Markle shares my feelings, because eagle-eyed royal fans have spotted her in a lot of designs with pockets lately, from the denim Carolina Herrera dress she wore to the polo earlier this month, to the belted Nonie trench coat she picked to visit the Nelson Mandela Centenary launch in London in July.

Photo: Rex

She also wore a black suit to visit Dublin with Prince Harry, and on each occasion, she was photographed putting her hand in the pocket.

However, it turns out that the reason behind this might be a little more personal than just reaching for a tissue.

Photo: Rex

According to OK! magazine, who interviewed body language expert Judi James, a lot of people do this to hide.

She said, 'Prince Charles does it, Prince Harry does it and even little Prince George has been seen doing it, but Meghan might be the first royal woman to shove her hand into a pocket when she's out in public. The classic reason for this very common gesture is that it signals a subliminal desire to hide, especially when the hands are shoved deep into the pockets.'

Photo: Rex

'It also helps get over the common problem most of us suffer from, which is not really knowing what to do with our hands when we know people are looking at us,' she added.

That said, she admitted that for Meghan, who is super confident, it was probably more of a fashion statement.

'Meghan's high levels of confidence suggest her reason is more to do with fashion than anxiety though. It is also a probable nod to her love of 50's styling,' she confirmed.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.